Typically, pickup trucks and other vehicles are sold and used with the decks of the beds exposed to the exterior environment. During adverse weather conditions, it would not be wise to transport some types of cargo, in the open bed of the pickup truck because damage to the cargo might occur. For this reason, some vehicles and trailers have enclosed compartments for the transport of cargo. While this is effective in protecting the cargo, such construction defeats the versatility of a pickup truck. Accordingly, one solution to the problem of protecting cargo transported by a pickup truck is to cover the cargo with a tarp. However, when driving the pickup truck, wind causes these tarps to flutter. Not only is this annoying to the occupants of the pickup truck but also the tarp could potentially disengage from the pickup truck. By making modifications to the pickup truck, tie-down fasteners can be used to better secure the tarp in a manner to limit the amount of the flutter. Also, hard-shell tops could be installed over the opened bed to protect the cargo from adverse weather conditions but, as mentioned below, these have inherent disadvantages.
In addition to transporting cargo, pickup trucks are also used for recreational activities such as camping. It should be understood that a vehicle mounted tent can sometimes be similar to a cargo protecting covering, except that a tent structure employs an integrated framework in conjunction with the vehicle bed in order to form a protected space of size suitable for temporary occupancy and shelter. Many pickup truck owners who enjoy camping have converted their pickup trucks either temporarily or permanently to campers. Several types of conversions are readily commercially available to pickup truck owners who desire to convert their pickup trucks to campers. A more permanent conversion would be a self-contained camper unit which is mounted into the bed of the pickup truck. Usually, these camper units come completely equipped with a small appliances such as sink, a propane stove and refrigerator as well as two bunks and a toilet. Temporary conversions would include a hard-shell camper top or a tent structure to cover the bed of the pickup truck thereby protecting the occupants from adverse weather conditions. These temporary conversions are more desirable if the pickup truck is required for work-related or other uses.
The hard-shell camper top has inherent disadvantages. The hard-shell camper top is heavy. This causes hardship in mounting it to and dismounting it from the bed of the pickup truck. Extreme care must be taken when mounting the hard-shell camper shell on the bed of the pickup truck. If improperly mounted, the camper shell could detach from the pickup truck. If the pickup truck is in motion at the time when the camper shell detaches, the camper shell could cause bodily harm and property damage. Further, transporting a heavy hard-shell camper top reduces fuel economy of the truck and, therefore, a cost penalty is associated with employing one. The hard-shell camper top is bulky and, as a result, storing it presents an inconvenience problem and a storage space problem. Lastly, it is simply not very practical to remove the camper shell from the truck unless it would be near its place of storage.
To overcome the inherent disadvantages of employing a hard-shell camper top, many types of tent structures for pickup trucks have been developed. One example of a prior art tent structure is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,652,040 issued on Mar. 24, 1987, to Mahan. This tent arrangement for a pickup truck utilizes a tailgate envelope which secures the tent to the lowered tailgate. Although this envelope extends the living space inside of the tent, it does require an occupant to either step or kneel on the envelope before entry into the tent. Stepping or kneeling on the envelope can damage the tent structure and subsequently decrease its useful life. This problem could be circumvented by providing a stairway leading to the entrance of the tent.
Another prior art tent structure is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,332,265 issued on Jun. 1, 1982, to Baker. This tent structure requires assembling a frame comprising numerous elongated tubular elements. The frame is secured into the bed of the pickup truck by sliding a tubular element over spatially-disposed bed studs that are incorporated as fixtures into the bed of the pickup truck. Assembling these tubular elements consumes time and these bed-stud fixtures occupy space that otherwise could be more effectively used by the occupants. Modifications must be made to the pickup truck to facilitate the attachment of these fixtures.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,915,440 issued on Apr. 10, 1990, to Daniel et al discloses a truck bed cover for pickups that could be used by campers. A frame has telescopic legs that could be raised or lowered to adjust the height of the truck bed cover for various sizes of cargo. This frame must be rigidly attached to the inside of the bed by fastening fixtures therein. The telescopic legs of the frame are complex mechanisms and would appear to be expensive to manufacture. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,813,734 issued on Mar. 21, 1989 to Hoover, a flexible cover is draped over a frame comprising numerous interconnected tubes. This frame is placed onto the side walls of the truck and a single elastic cord extending around the peripheral edge of the cover attaches to the truck to help secure the tent structure onto the pickup truck. The legs of the frame require specialized shaping so that the frame can be properly placed onto the side walls of the pickup truck. U.S. Pat. No. 5,054,841 issued on Oct. 8, 1991 to Zalman teaches a tent structure made from heavy-duty vinyl having fixed clear vinyl windows and a zippered opening in the rear. The vinyl is sewn to fit a three piece pipe frame that slides vertically into inserts mounted into the bed of the pickup truck.
Numerous other types of tent structures or other types of covering assemblies for pickup trucks are known in the art but are not considered to be relevant prior art because none of these prior art tent structures reflects the characteristics of the present making any modifications and/or permanent attachment to the pickup truck. Also, the components of the covering assembly of the present invention can be compactly stowed. It is from these needs, among others, that the present invention has evolved.